Connor and Evan have been taking swim lessons for the last 2 weeks through our local parks and rec department.
This is our third summer of swim lessons and the last 2 were NOT pretty.
We had been taking lessons at the local in door specialized place once a week. I had a feeling that maybe the once a week wasn’t enough to actually get them comfortable in the water.
So this summer we went with the T-F every day for 30 min for two straight weeks route.
The Bribe
I told them that if they didn’t cry at swim lessons, then I would buy them the Lego Rancor Pit that they drool over every time we go to Target.
Then my husband decided to one up my offer to them and he offered them the Lego Jabba’s Palace if they actually learned to swim (defined as…face under water with arms/legs moving and no floaties).
It has been some SERIOUS work for this mommy going to swim lessons every day and then also taking them to the pool daily to practice.
The Dilemma
Yesterday (day 6) we had our first big problem…Evan cried at swim lessons.
I can’t blame him. Last week they pushed him under and scared him so badly that now he doesn’t trust them. So when he saw they were going back to the same place, he freaked. He refused to get in the water and totally lost it.
But the deal was no crying…and he cried. So do I make a new deal and then void all the non-crying Connor did at swim lessons? Or do I stick to it, and even though he had a very valid reason, say crying is crying and you don’t get it?
What I Did
I told Evan that he cried which means that Connor gets the Rancor Pit, but…I tried to create some empathy with Connor and explain the situation and try to get Connor to say how he would feel if he was in the same shoes as Evan hoping that maybe Connor would share with Evan.
But then Evan ruined it by saying that he wouldn’t share with Connor, so Connor said he wouldn’t share with Evan…and all deals were off!
Finally
We’ve come to the end of our two weeks and Connor wants those Lego sets BAD (since they now both belong to him).
He has worked and worked…and even though he won’t do it at swim lessons…he will swim (according to the definition) at our neighborhood pool.
So we’re out some serious money!
What would you have done?
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